From the back of the room to your room, the definitive guide to comedy.

June 2011

June 30, 2011

If you take one of your writing assistant's ideas and turn it into your own, you just might be a gold-digger. No?

That's not a Jeff Foxworthy line, nor even my line, but the line Jared Edwards is using (so to speak) in his federal case against three of the Wayans brothers -- Keenan Ivory, Shawn and Marlon -- alleging they stole his jokes and idea for what would become their 2009 book, 101 Ways to Know You're a Golddigger.

The Wayans brothers also published similar books titled 101 Ways to Know It's Time to Get Out of Your Mama's House and 150 Ways to Tell if You're Ghetto.

Edwards, who worked for the Wayans brothers for a decade, filed suit shortly after the book hit stores and shelves in 2009. It's slated to go to federal trial proceedings on July 12, 2011.

Sure, Dom Irrera showed up on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson last night so he could crack some jokes about ads for ice-cold beer and his relative who is an ignorant racist, but Irrera and Ferguson also had some time for panel chat, too.

Ferguson asked Irrera, as a Philadelphia guy, whether he could solve the rivalry between Pat's and Geno's cheesesteaks, and whether he has brushed up on his French -- since both Irrera and Ferguson will be performing in Montreal at the end of July for the Just For Laughs comedy festival.

Argue all you want over whether Jon Stewart is a politician, but Stephen Colbert most definitely is. Or should I say, "Stephen Colbert," the character Colbert portrays on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report.

This morning in Washington, D.C., the Federal Elections Commission officially voted to grant his request to form a Super Political Action Committee (or Super PAC). Here's the raw video, provided by the Associated Press, as the FEC approves Colbert and then Colbert hands in his paperwork.

Roll it!

Need background on this?

On last night's episode of The Colbert Report, Colbert explains what he planned to do with his Super PAC, after the U.S. Supreme Court gave the OK for Super PACs to produce independent political advertising...

Love. Love. Love this. Jon Dore and Rory Scovel are two of my favorite stand-up comedians today who love to play with the rules of comedy and then chuck them out the proverbial window.

One thing they do that few others do is perform together, yet separately, onstage. If you've caught it live, it's something to behold. The duo put on show called The Jory Hour at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood. If you haven't seen it before, then now you can, thanks to Team Coco, who booked Dore and Scovel on Conan last night.

I advise watching it at least three or four times: Once to soak it all in, one time each focusing just on Dore or Scovel, and then once more to marvel at it again.

It's the Fourth of July Weekend (almost) and even closer to Canada Day (for you Canadians), and it's Thursday in the U.K., so why not celebrate with a good ol' fashioned new-media battle of the wits from across the pond?

Oy! and Oi! Saturday, July 30, 2011 6PM PT | 9PM ET (2AM BST on July 31st) From Mazel tov to Marmite - comedians from both traditions mix it up, tweeting about their own hilarious takes on food and family.

"Weird Al" Yankovic has had much success in his decades as a satirical recording artist, but not quite like he has had this week.

Yankovic's most recent album, Alpocalypse, debuted at #9 on the Billboard charts (a rare feat for any comedic act) -- and Conan O'Brien finally allowed him to perform on his TV show, doing so by also granting him the privilege of writing and singing lyrics for Conan.

June 29, 2011

In case you missed it earlier this month, NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is repeating Larry David's first appearance on the program tonight.

In this clip, Larry David reveals that Leno first asked him on the program way back in 1992, when the Seinfeld program he'd co-created was still in its infancy. Was it worth the wait? He'll tell you before you even need to ask.

Leno also recalls how David used to act as a stand-up comic, not even bothering to say "hello" to the audience, and ready to bail as soon as he didn't feel the audience's attention on him.

When NBC announced it was bringing stunt-game show Fear Factor back into production earlier this month after a five-year hiatus -- putting out a renewed casting call for teams of two -- host and comedian Joe Rogan wasn't sure what to make of it at first.

Rogan asked his fans via Twitter for their thoughts and reassured them he'd still be doing his streaming podcasts.

Well, he's back! As he told TVGuide.com, "It doesn't seem real. It seems like some sort of bizarro dream world. But I'm looking forward to it. The idea of sitting at home and watching someone else host it would have driven me crazy."

Production begins in July with at least eight episodes ordered. Rogan helmed 146 episodes over six seasons from 2001 to 2006 (see the old promo shot at right).

"What I brought to Fear Factor the first time I hope to bring to it again — a background in competitive athletics along with being a standup comedian," Rogan says, who also provides commentary for the UFC's pay-per-view events. "This show is tailor-made for me."

The schedule is out for the 13th Del Close Marathon, the Upright Citizen Brigade's annual celebration of their late improv comedy teacher, with shows scheduled around-the-clock from Aug. 12-14, 2011, in multiple venues in NYC's Chelsea neighborhood near the UCB Theatre.

As in recent years, the UCB has scheduled its craziest thematic shows in the late-night blocks and also will sell separate tickets to bigger-name performances at the FIT's Kate Murphy Amphitheater.

First out of the gate following Friday afternoon's traditional opening press conference will be Outlook of the Poet, featuring Jon Gabrus, Ben Rodgers and Gavin Speiller, followed by the female trio of Doppelganger (Nicole Byer, Sasheer Zamata and Keisha Zollar).

The June 25, 2011, event at Tingley Coliseum was billed as, "A Night of Comedy: Hosted and Presented by Katt Williams," featuring AJ Johnson, Shawty Shawty and 'a special mystery guest.' Hmmm. OK. So. A couple of fan videos surfaced from the end of the night showing Katt Williams pacing around, with the house lights on, and doing push-ups, as one fan gives her running commentary. What does that prove?

Earlier, Williams was onstage with an all-female entourage and purportedly answering questions from the audience. Although this clip doesn't exactly provide the answers these audience members were seeking. Roll it.

Hannibal Buress has a fairly reasonable dispute with a police officer about the nature of speeding through Indiana, which he outlined last night during his performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Buress also recounts a couple of times his debit card fell into the wrong hands of would-be criminals, as well as one time when he was younger and found someone else's card in an ATM. What would you do? What. Would. You. Do.

Earlier this month, FOX News Sunday's Chris Wallace confronted Comedy Central's Jon Stewart about his comedy and supposed liberal bias, to which Stewart naturally responded with facts and the well-known truth that he is a comedian first and foremost, and not an ideologue. (Watch Stewart's FOX News Sunday appearance if you need to catch up)

Well, apparently FOX News got the memo to send all of its talking head anchors into war with Stewart, and their marching orders told them to point out Stewart's "liberal bias" for making a funny voice during a joke about conservative Republican Hermain Cain. How'd that go? Well, if only they had seen and/or heard all of the other funny accents Stewart has employed on The Daily Show over the years. Oh, wait. They could have done that. Stewart and his employees beat FOX News to the punchline. Roll the clip!

Louis CK and Jon Stewart go back a couple of decades in comedy together, so last night's appearance on The Daily Show allowed the two comedians to reminisce a bit. They also -- spoiler alert -- discuss the fart joke that's a central plot point in the premiere episode of season two of FX's Louie.

Let Louis CK break it down for you why farts are funny. Safe for work? Even merely explaining farts makes Stewart laugh uncontrollably, at least when CK does it; also, when he describes in detail just how obesely obese he plans to get once his career in comedy is over.

"You don't have to be smart to laugh at farts, but you have to be stupid not to." -- Louis CK

June 28, 2011

Mere weeks after saying goodbye to both of its new sports-themed comedy series, Comedy Central has ordered series pickups for two sketch-comedy ideas: One starring Nick Kroll and all of his characters, The Nick Show Kroll; and the other, an untitled project reuniting MADtv alums Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key.

Interestingly enough, the press release from Comedy Central seems to indicate that Kent Alterman ordered both pilots to series without even seeing them. In fact, his quote says just that!

"I haven't seen either pilot yet, but I think so highly of the talent involved, I can't imagine the shows won't be great," said Alterman.

Boom.

Nick Kroll proudly announced his show to friends, fans and followers on Twitter...

He made it through to the semifinals. Only problem was, all of the material he used in his audition he had ripped off of other comedians; namely, Lee Mack and Geoff Keith. And people familiar with both of those comedians were quick to point this out.

So Paris appeared Tuesday night for his semifinal round, and in the buildup to it, the show teased how much pressure he had, and even tried to defend his joke thievery to singers who perform covers. Well, I mean. Really? Seriously? Do they not understand the concept of original comedy in Australia? Wait a second. Isn't Australia the same country/continent where they had guys perform in blackface as a Jackson Five parody a couple of years ago? Oh, yep. That's the ticket. Now, there there. I have friends who are Australian comedians, and funny ones, too! But still. You cannot make a case for stealing a comedian's original act and passing it off as your own. Telling timeless street jokes? Go ahead, Gilbert Gottfried! But joke stealing? Nope. Not here. Please try your hand at a different line of work.

Jordan Paris thought his best bet was to make his semifinal set all about him being a joke thief? How well do you think that went over with the audience and judges?

Louis CK brought up several disturbing things on last night's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, among them tampon stealing and diarrhea. Oh, and comedians who work on cruise ships.

About halfway through this clip, Louis CK explains how he got to introduce his daughters to the concept of cruise ships, and how his work as a stand-up comedian differs from those stand-ups who work the cruise-ship circuit.

As he tells Kimmel:

"Comedians have a mean hatred of cruise-ship comics. It's just a mean prejudice. We call 'em boat acts. It's just mean. 'Boat act!' Cause they pander. We just think they're crap. And it's just something you just feel, it's like being born racist, you just believe it, you don't question it, it's just a thing in you. So my daughter is like, 'Have you ever worked on a cruise ship?' I'm like, 'Nooo!' And she says, 'Why not?! Why wouldn't you want to be on a boat?' And I'm like, 'Well, that's a different kind of comic.' She says, 'Well, what's different about them?' I said, 'Well, a cruise ship comic just tries to please everybody.' And she's like, 'Why wouldn't you want to do that? Of course! Isn't that what you want to do?' 'Yes, but I, see, some things I say onstage might upset some people.' 'Why would you upset people?! That's a terrible thing to do!'"

Roll the clip! And a few more thoughts on the matter, after the jump...

June 27, 2011

A new UCB Maude team and a long-running two-man improv group came up big as winners of $5,000 each in the 2011 Friars Club Improv & Sketch Competition, held over the weekend at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City.

The cash prizes serve as funding for the winning groups -- Onassis and The Mantzoukas Brothers -- to produce and shoot short films for the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival this October.

The following listings include comedians and comedic actors scheduled to appear/perform on the late-night TV talk show circuit this week. Check with the TV shows and local listings for last-minute changes.

This week, we get twice the Louis CK as he appears on Kimmel tonight and The Daily Show on Tuesday. Who else is making the late-night rounds this week?